“I’ve always said Mousa Dembele,” Forshaw told Talking Shutt. “When we [Middlesbrough] played Tottenham in the Premier League, he made me look like a kid. He used to just walk with me on his arm.

“As a central midfielder, if you’ve got everything and then have the ability to take somebody on as well, to be a top dribbler and to have everything – he was a top player. Don’t really know why he left the Premier League, he could get in any side.”

Forshaw made the switch from Boro to Yorkshire during the 2018 January transfer window, as Leeds paid £5 million for his services, as reported by BBC Sport.

The Liverpool-born player, as admitted with Dembele, found it tough to prove his worth during his time in the Premier League, as he is hopeful of returning to England’s top-flight with Leeds this season.

Marcelo Bielsa, who lost the Championship play-off semi-final in the most dramatic of fashions last season, will be hoping that learning curve and end-of-season heartbreak has prepared them in a much better fashion for this campaign – they are currently third in the Championship table.